


Duet

by Kazel_Menra



Series: The Ladycat Arc [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, I wonder if they really can sing?, These two dorks, nervous marinette
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-27
Updated: 2018-04-27
Packaged: 2019-04-28 17:52:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14454618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kazel_Menra/pseuds/Kazel_Menra
Summary: Marinette is having a bad day and alone at school starts singing. Adrien finds her and while surprised decides to start singing with her.





	Duet

**Author's Note:**

> So this is the start of a new story arc called the Ladycat arc. This story is just a cute bit of fluff that happens before all the good stuff goes down in Meaning of Marigolds which is the next story. This arc is shorter than the last but the stories are longer-ish so there will be more chapters.  
> I also forgot to mention that these stories are also up on Youtube for your listening pleasure. Yes I am the one reading these stories out loud so forgive me for any mistakes or odd breaks in the recordings.

Marinette was having a bad day. It wasn’t an unlucky day by any means, it was simply a day she desperately wished she had stayed in bed for. For one thing she was exhausted from a long night of chasing an akuma and for another she hadn't completed her homework. Her mom had fussed at her as she was leaving because she looked so exhausted and only Tiki s presence had persuaded her to even get out the door a second time that day after lunch. Marinette sighed allowing her head to lay on the desk happy for the first time that day that school was almost over. Alya glanced at her a bit worried for her friend.

"Come on girl cheer up! Adrien will be here tomorrow, Nino told me." Alya whispered keeping her voice low so the teacher couldn’t hear her. 

Marinette almost choked as she realized Alya though she was so down because Adrien wasn’t there. Marinette knew she was just trying to help, she was always just trying to help. In fact earlier at lunch Alya had saved her from getting a bad score by letting her copy the part of the homework she hadn't done. It was no secret between them that Marinette really liked Adrien and while she had been bummed that he wasn't in school, it wasn’t the sole reason for her sour mood. Despite her normally cheery attitude and penchant for clumsiness around certain people she was only human. Wasn’t she just allowed to have a bad day? Frustration mingled with her exhaustion and a strangled noise slipped from her throat causing the teacher to turn around. 

"Is there an issue?" she asked 

Marinette shoved herself to her feet her face turning a bright red. "Something stuck in my throat." She managed to squeak before grabbing her bag and running out the door. She shook her head as she made her way to the bathroom exhaustion pulling at her. The bell was going to ring soon and although she could head home early Marinette found she didn’t want to face the cheeriness of her home or her parents. She had a few options of course she could turn into Ladybug and go hang out on the rooftops but she knew if she did that Chat would find her. He always found her soon after transforming, it was like the cat had a secret ladybug radar built in or something. A sigh escaped her and she realized it wouldn’t be a good idea to run into him feeling the way she did. Just because she was in a bad mood didn’t mean she had to spread it to others. 

"Marinette are you ok?" Tiki asked her tiny voice muffled from the closed purse. 

"I'm just tired and grumpy. I'll be ok I think." Marinette answered walking across the courtyard to an empty classroom where she knew she could lay low as the school emptied out. The moment the door slid closed behind her the bell rang releasing the wave of happy students until the following day. A text came through on her phone a minute later from Alya asking where she had gotten off to and Marinette groaned sliding down the door to the floor. Swiftly she texted her friend back telling her she had decided to go home early to try and get some sleep. It was a flimsy excuse but it was one Alya bought immediately and she texted back a smiley face with the words 'feel better' next to it. A smile crossed her lips, the second smile to do so that day and Tiki flew out of her purse to gently nuzzle against her neck.

"I'm sorry you are having a bad day." Tiki said flying into Marinettes cupped hands 

Marinette chuckled. "It happens sometimes Tiki, I'll be better tomorrow I promise." 

They sat there in a comforting silence for several minutes listening to the people talking, yelling, and laughing just outside the door. Eventually all sound faded and Marinette slowly got to her feet while Tiki flew from her cupped hands back into her purse to eat some of the cookies she had stored there. Wandering around the desks and chairs Marinette moved to stand in the weak beams of sunlight that were filtering through the clouds and leaves. Leaning back against one of the desks nearest the windows she let eyes close and head tilt back as she began to hum. Singing had always made her feel better. She didn’t do it in front of people, in fact not even Alya knew she could sing. It helped her release some of the tension she had been feeling and soon she found herself slowly shaking off the strange melancholy that had kept her irritable most of the day. Her voice grew stronger as the annoyance and tiredness faded, her body relaxing as she soaked in the warmth of the afternoon sun. 

Adrien hated missing school for his fathers business. He put up with it of course, with a smile and perfect posture that gave no hint of the utter distaste he had for the whole thing. He despised missing a whole school day though, he missed his friends and the joy they brought to his life. Adrien knew school had ended almost a half hour ago and he knew it was a long shot but he had decided to drop by on his way home under the pretense of collecting homework. In reality he wanted to see if Nino was still at school working on a project. Texting him would have been the easiest thing to do but he had left his phone at home that day. So after convincing the driver he could in fact walk home alone Adrien wandered into the empty school. He found one of his teachers who was happy to pass along his missed assignments and unable to find anyone else he had begun to leave. 

"Whats that sound?" A muffled voice asked from his pocket.

Adrien lifted his shirt slighty to see Plagg tilting his little head his eyes closed as he listened to something. "Its pretty." 

Confused Adrien looked around him. He was alone in the courtyard and he couldn’t see, much less hear anything. "Whats pretty? I don’t hear anything." 

The Kwami waved a paw at him "Listen harder." He said rather unhelpfully 

Shrugging Adrien closed his eyes and went still as he reached out with his senses. At first silence reigned with the background noise of the street trumping everything else. Then as individual noises separated themselves he could make out someone… singing? He realized that it was Plaggs influence that was allowing him to hear the voice but he didn’t care because as Plagg had said the voice was pretty. Eyes still closed Adrien moved towards the voice eventually coming up to a door on the opposite side of the courtyard. There was a side door to the empty class room and he slipped inside quiet as a cat on the hunt. What he saw knocked the air from his lungs and practically made his heart stop. She leaned against the desk outlined in the red sunset her head tilted back and a look of such peace on her face that for a moment all he could see before him was Ladybug. He was awestruck and in a snap decision, recognizing the song she sang he joined in his voice rising to meet hers.  
Marinette hadn't heard the door open and close behind her. Nor did she hear Adriens soft footsteps or gasp of surprise. What she did hear was the strong clear male voice that rose to join hers in the song she was singing. She jolted upright her voice losing its rhythm for a moment but then she continued unwilling to turn and see who had joined her to make it a duet. Her mom had always taught her to finish the things she started and now she was glad she did. Their voices rose in strength twining around each other to become a single sound. Complementing each other wonderfully their voices and filled the small classroom with warmth of joyful music. It came to an end all too soon their voices dying off in echoes that seemed to fade too quickly. Halfway through the last stanza Marinette had finally recognized the voice that had joined hers and now that the song was done she felt far too flustered to even try turning around. 

"You have a beautiful voice Marinette." Adrien whispered. 

A warm chill ran through her and a sun drenched Marinette turned to face him. He was standing mostly in the shadows though two beams of sunlight from the upper windows cut across his hair and eyes. They seemed to glow in the darkness and Marinette couldn't help but think of her crazy cat partner if only for a moment. It helped to think of him though because it allowed her to say "Thank you" without a single stutter.

She could feel herself blushing as he continued to stare at her and after a moment she managed to get out "I really liked your voice too. You're beautiful… I-I mean…" her voice trailed off in a stutter as embarrassment overtook her again and Adrien smiled at her from the darkness. 

There was the Marinette he knew so well. He wanted to ask her why she was here so late, why she was singing alone in an empty class room. He wanted to talk to her, to get to know her, Adrien realized with sudden shock. His heart belonged to Ladybug it was true but that duet had showed him that a large part of him yearned for Marinette. She was shy though, even now standing in the red sunset she was stuttering trying to speak, seemingly unable to get a coherent sentence out. A very Chat like grin slipped across his features and he took a breath before starting to sing once again. Marinettes head jerked up her eyes going wide. Adrien raised an eyebrow in question and was overjoyed when her voice slowly rose to join his again in harmony. It was a bit squeaky and jumpy at first but then it settled out into a harmonious flow that filled the silent space between them. Her eyes had closed the moment she had answered his voice and he took the opportunity to move closer covering the short distance with soft footsteps. He came around the desk his back to the door facing the windows. His heart pounded wildly in his chest though his steady voice showed no hint of it and he allowed his hand to drop to the desk three of his fingers lightly touching her hand. Marinette startled her voice jumping again as she looked up at him realizing how close he was. Adrien didn’t dare look at her worried that if he did she would stop singing and run away. To his relief she stayed her face as red as Ladybugs costume as her voice evened out. Together they finished the second song and Adrien finally looked over at her overtaken with curiosity. He wanted to sing with her again, sing and sing until the stars came out but he could tell that for the moment this was all she could handle. The magic of the moment was fading with the sunlight and although this was the warmest, most wonderful moment he'd had in a long time Adrien recognized that to push Marinette any farther wouldn’t do him or her any good. He was a cat though and he like all cats knew how to be patient. 

"Meet me here tomorrow after school?" he asked and Marinette looked up at him wide eyed and stunning in the red sunset. 

"O-ok." She managed 

Adrien in a very Chat like boost of confidence reached out and squeezed her hand gently feeling his own face heat up as hers did. Then on silent feet he slipped from the room elated at the idea that tomorrow he could hear her voice once more. 

The moment the door closed Marinette collapsed to the ground her face a mad blush the hand he had squeezed clutched tight to her chest. "Oh My Gosh…" she whispered her heart pounding so hard it hurt. 

Tiki flew from her purse to eye her charge and couldn’t help but giggle. "Well I've told you a few times your voice is really stunning. I'm not surprised he would want to sing with you again!" 

Marinette reached up to hold onto the desk so she could pull her shaky body up off the floor. Adrien had sang a duet with her and he wanted to sing with her again! Those thoughts somehow carried her out of school and home where she collapsed onto her bed all thought of sleep gone from her mind. As some of her shock wore off elation took its place and she managed to get up to do her homework humming the entire time. 

The next day passed in a delirious warm blur that not even Alyas pestering could crack. She begged off hanging out after school and once she was sure she was alone Marinette snuck into the classroom. Adrien was already there standing before the windows and he grinned at her as she froze like a mouse before a cat. Slowly he held out his hand for her to take. 

"I don’t bite you know." He said his voice like silk as it traveled across the room. 

A blush spread across Marinette face and she managed to nod still frozen by the door. The floor drew her eyes as she mentally shouted at herself to move forward. She didn’t hear him approach but she did notice when he was suddenly before her one hand gently lifting her face so he could look into her eyes. There was a gentle kindness in his eyes, a look of understanding that made her heart beat wildly. 

"You ready?" he asked

Marinette took a deep breath and to both of their surprise her voice came out clear and strong as she answered "Yes" 

A grin slid onto his face and a small smile lifted her lips as together in the sunset drenched classroom they sang a duet.


End file.
